The present invention relates to an adjustment device, particularly for a snowboard binding.
Snowboarding is characterized by various techniques which can be used by the skier, including jumps and various acrobatic maneuvers, slalom, and speed; of course, in order to correctly perform each one of these techniques, the user must assume a body posture which has a given angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the board.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,068 discloses a device for selectively and pivotally positioning a ski binding on a snowboard.
This patent substantially illustrates a first plate which supports the boot and is arranged above a second circular plate which is perimetrically provided with a groove.
The second circular plate is rotatably connected to a third plate, which is in turn rigidly connected to the board. The second circular plate has, at the groove, a cable which is wound thereat and can be tensioned by means of a lever.
Actuation of the lever allows the engagement and/or disengagement of the cable with respect to the second circular plate, allowing the user to vary the angular position of the binding with respect to the longitudinal axis of the board.
This solution, however, has drawbacks: during slalom, jumping and acrobatic maneuvers, the binding and therefore the board are subjected to many torsional stresses which may not be effectively contrasted by the tension of the cable on the second circular plate. In particular, upon impact with the snow after a jump, the binding is subjected to a sudden and very intense torsional stress which can hardly be contrasted by the friction between the two smooth surfaces of the first and second plates.
Moreover, the lever for tensioning the cable is spaced and separate from the binding: the lever can therefore easily disengage during sports practice because of accidental impacts thereof against rocks or other objects or because of the snow.
Furthermore, part of the cable is exposed to possible accidental impacts and can be torn or be weakened, thus compromising use of the binding.
The user, in such cases, would lose control of the board, which would be difficult to steer; snow or water can also deposit between the cable and the second circular plate, further decreasing the friction between the two smooth surfaces of the first and second plates and accordingly decreasing the overall locking force of the lever.
All this has a negative effect on the user who, because of the possible lack of rigid engagement between the binding and the board, might suffer severe problems to the legs in case of a fall.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,654 discloses a binding for performing winter sports which can be subjected to a rotation about its own vertical axis; six appropriately spaced holes are thus formed thereon to accommodate an equal number of screws which allow to fix it to the board in a chosen angular position which is selected by the user. The angular position can be changed by unscrewing the screws and repositioning them so that the binding is rotated through the intended angle.
The binding also has a safety for the quick release of the boot from the board, which is substantially composed of a hub on the perimeter of which appropriately shaped seats are provided for accommodating a ball with a forced-fit action produced by a spring.
This solution, however, has drawbacks; in order to vary the angular position of the binding with respect to the snowboard, the user must remove his foot from the binding and, by means of an adapted tool, unscrew the fixing screws, reposition the binding in the intended position, and reconnect the binding to the board.
The above-described operations, however, require considerable time, forcing the user to always have at least one tool available.
Moreover, in order to perform the adjustment, the user must remove his foot from the binding, and accordingly he or she does not have an immediate perception of the adjustment performed.
Owing to the limited attention which the user devotes to these operations because of his eagerness to be on the skiing slopes, the screws might also be fixed imprecisely to the board, with a consequent danger of disconnection or poor steerability of the board during sports practice.
It is also known to use a snowboard binding which is fixed to the board by means of a disk which is rigidly connected to the board by screws.
Perimetrically arranged inclined planes protrude towards the board, below the disk, and interact with complementarily shaped planes formed at an adapted disk containment seat formed on the binding.
By tensioning the screws appropriately, the disk moves towards the board until its inclined planes interact with the complementarily shaped planes formed on the binding, thus locking the disk and the binding to the board in a chosen position.
It is known to replace the inclined planes with pairs of sets of teeth which are likewise inclined and are located on the disk and on the binding.
In this manner, the engagement and disengagement of the screws allows the disk to rise until the pairs of sets of teeth are mutually disengaged, although the disk remains coupled to the board.
By rising, the disk allows to rotate the binding, which can be arranged in the chosen angular position.
It is thus possible to obtain a range of mutually different positions whose number, however, is limited by the size of the teeth that constitute the pairs of sets of teeth.
Use of such a conventional binding, however, entails other drawbacks: the user must remove his or her gloves, remove his or her foot from the binding, have a screwdriver or a suitable wrench to disengage the screws, turn the binding with his hands into the position which is close to the intended one, and tighten the entire assembly.
This operation is excessively long and troublesome to perform directly on the ski-run in order to modify the angular position according to specific requirements.
Another solution which is used is known as "baseless" and has a binding constituted by two separate half-shells which are mutually joined by a rear strap; each half-shell is fixed to the board by screws accommodated in adapted slots formed on the flat part of said half-shells.
Said conventional binding has the drawback that its angular adjustment is limited by the dimensions of the slots.
EPA 96112203.3 in the name of this same Applicant relates to an angular adjustment device, particularly for a snowboard binding to which a disk is rigidly connected to a base for supporting a shoe, which is constituted by engagement means which are associated with the base and selectively interact with grip means formed on the disk.
The disk has a set of teeth which interacts with an additional set of teeth provided in the engagement means, so that the two elements mutually lock through the interaction between the two sets of teeth. Although this solution is valid within the scope of the problem of achieving the angular adjustment of the binding with respect to the board, there could be drawbacks related to possible deformations caused by the continuous use of the device or to accidental impacts or possible temperature changes to which the binding is subjected; all this can alter the operation of the device.
Moreover, the device requires, for its activation, a precise arrangement of the various elements that mutually interact, and this forces the user to make several attempts to achieve the exact position for locking the binding; this might lead, owing to inattention on the part of the user, to possible "false" lockings of the binding, with consequent possible danger for the user safety during sports practice.